In standing up for my favorite fandom I have been engaged to one of its characters. That right guys, a set of ten year olds have declared me to be "Riku's girlfriend".
And I'm happy to stick up for Riku, I'm happy to adjust the camera to stare at his butt, more then happy to ridicule him through my television and crack jokes at his expense every chance I get.
But come on, Riku? My boyfriend?
It got me thinking, to what extent should we love our fandom? Yes, I love Kingdom Hearts. Yes, I've actually considered getting a Kingdom Hearts tattoo, and I have memorabilia lying around (Action!Axel make a terrific weapon). I have the manga, and random pictures stored on my hard drive. I read fanfiction and random comics that I can find so I can get my fix.
However, when a girl of 14 year old starts to declare that she wants Roxas's babies, I do worry. Yes, I like Roxas. I find him to be a very engaging character and I can't wait to play 358/2 to see more of his background and that of the organizations. But...babies?
I know you can apply this to almost every fandom. In fact, I was sitting in class talking about Devil May Cry and saying how I've actually grown fond of Dante (which almost never happens with video game characters outside the KH franchise). The girl I was talking to promptly told me to "Back off, Dante's mine." And frankly, she's welcome to him.
Me? Oh, I prefer these crazy things called "human beings".
I know I'm not the craziest Otaku in the world, and that I had a phase when I was gaga for InuYasha. Though I do wonder, at what point is it enough? When should I remind said 14 year old that Roxas is a fictional character and that maybe she should redirect her affection for Zac Effron? I mean, I was declared Riku's girlfriend by 10 year olds.
Is it all fun and games? Or has it gotten to the point of obsession?
I find myself wondering this more and more as I mature. However, there are still many young girls who claim that Kadja, Tamaki and Axel are the loves of their lives.
I guess I'll have to keep on reminding people that fictional characters are, after all, fictional. And that while we may find qualities we like in those characters, they exist in real live people as well.
For now, I continue tyring to find ways to let Riku down easily (Disney knows we don't want him to go back to the darkness) while Riku wonders if polygamy is legal on Destiny Island.
